Hedging Your Bets
by peppymint
Summary: As Ace's execution date approaches, one man takes unique steps to save him. Immortal!Naruto
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one_

_To my great frustration, I still have not managed to finish Chapter Three of Hidden Claws._

_However, recently read a fic by TheDemonKingNaruto which gave me an idea_

_So without further ado I present . . ._

**Hedging Your Bets**

Shanks was quiet as he stood next to the rail of his ship, staring out at the waves. For those who knew him, heck even for those who had merely heard of him this tended to be a bad sign. Usually it meant someone was going to die. The fingers of his right arm clenched, the wood of the rail creaking in response to his unconscious strength.

_Damn it. _The redhead silently snarled to himself. _Why hadn't Whitebeard just listened to him? _The situation had devolved far faster than Shanks had ever anticipated. Ace was due to be executed in less than a week, and even though he didn't doubt the mera mera user's crew intended to rescue him, there was no guarantee they would succeed.

This troubled the Yonko for many reasons. First off there was Luffy. Yes, he had heard all about the younger pirate's assault on Impel Down. Something that made Shanks want to simultaneously beam with pride and beat his head against the wall. He still hadn't decided which was the stronger urge.

It was a true pity that the rookie pirate had been just a little too late. However, Shanks knew better than to think a little thing like invading Marine Headquarters was going to stop Anchor from trying to rescue his brother. Not that he could blame his little protégé. If it was one of his crew he would do the same thing.

Then of course there was the matter of Portgas D. Ace himself. Even though they had not spent that much time face to face, Shanks liked the younger man. He also knew damn well whose son the other was. Granted, it had taken him awhile to put the pieces together. Once he had though, like hell was he going to let those bastards kill his captain's only child!

All of this, plus a few other factors, was why the Red Force was sailing towards Marineford at top speed. The problem you ask? Shanks still wasn't sure if they were going to make it in time. They had tacked up every bit of sail they had, but the redhead was well aware the slightest delay could mean the difference between life and death for Fire-Fist.

This time Shanks did snarl, causing a few of the newer members of his crew to edge away from him. If only there was a way to get Ace out before the execution. Suddenly, the redhead stilled. Maybe there was a way. His hand drifted up to the necklace that had never, ever left his skin. It didn't look like much, just a crystal surrounded by some ornate designs. Only its owner knew what it truly was. A seal.

Abruptly the Yonko turned from the rail, approaching the center of the deck where a decorative metal plate was imbedded in the wood. Shanks had placed it there himself after removing it from his former ship. His crew had never pressed him on the reason why and he had never told.

"All of you stand back," he ordered. "I don't want there to be any misunderstandings."

The members of the Red Haired Pirates exchanged confused looks but did as commanded. They had been together too long to question their captain over something like this. Stepping closer to the plate Shanks removed his necklace, biting down hard on his thumb in order to smear a bit of chakra infused blood over the crystal.

The effect was immediate. There was a brilliant flash of yellow light in the center of the deck, temporarily blinding those members of the crew who had been unlucky enough to be staring right at it. When the spots cleared, those pirates old enough to know who they were looking at had to resist the urge to take a few more steps back.

All of them except one. Benn Beckman merely narrowed his eyes. It had been almost seven years ago that he had burst into his captain's cabin only to nearly suffer three simultaneous heart attacks finding Shanks calmly conversing with a man whose bounty would have rivaled Monkey D. Dragon's. Save for one thing. Uzumaki Naruto was supposed to be dead.

The first mate still hadn't figured out the relationship between his captain and the mysterious man. And Shanks had been annoyingly vague whenever he questioned his captain on the matter. Even worse, he was sure the man whom the World Government had once called Maelstrom had been on and off the ship multiple times over the years even though he couldn't prove it. To someone upon whom the safety of the crew depended upon, it was a constant source of frustration.

Sapphire eyes narrowed as they surveyed the crew. The thick aura covering the deck making it difficult for some of the pirates to breathe. Several of them flat out collapsing to the deck as though they had been hit by Conqueror's Haki. Then, the visitor paused, running a concerned look up and down Shanks once before rising out of a battle crouch.

In all the years Shanks had worn that necklace the redhead had never used it. Even during the times when Naruto argued he should have. So, when the blonde's matching necklace lit up the immortal felt he was well within his rights to panic. Over time, the demon vessel had learned to distance himself as to not suffer perpetual heartbreak. One thing however hadn't changed. No matter how many centuries, nay millennia passed, he would do anything for his precious people.

Quickly, the demon vessel covered the few steps to Shanks' side. Ignoring Kurama's queries about what was happening as he reassured himself the other was not hurt. "What is it?" he asked. His instincts screaming at him to tear apart whatever, or whoever, had caused the redhead distress.

Shanks took a deep breath. "I need your help." He had no worries the other would refuse him. That had never been the issue. Still, it was somewhat embarrassing. He was Red-Haired Shanks. One of the Four Pirate Emperors who ruled over the New World. His name feared all around Grand Line. A man, who when the chips were down had gone to the strongest man he had ever known, his Father.

_HYBHYBHYB_

_I feel so bad; I've broken my own rules. But I have tried and tried and just cannot kick this case of writer's block. So, I have decided to give in and write this short story in the hopes my other muses return. It will only be six chapters at most and I plan on updating it once per day._

_Hope you enjoy and please review_

_-peppymint_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one_

_Big thank you to everyone who reviewed_

_I spend most of my time writing in smaller fandoms and was thrilled to see such a positive response_

**Chapter Two**

Naruto shook his head sadly as yet another oblivious marine walked under him. Kids these days.

Yes, the day of the ninja was long past. Even before the Hidden Continent had broken into hundreds of tiny islands knowledge of chakra manipulation had been on the decline. Today he, Shanks, and that black haired kid that was always hanging around his son were the only remnants of the once great shinobi nations.

However other powers had moved forward to replace them. Devil fruits. Haki. Even flat out training one's body to work in such a way that would have made Maito Gai green with envy. Yet, not one of the men guarding Marine Headquarters had bothered to look up, too secure in their own superiority.

Still, that was probably a good thing. The shinobi was cutting it close as it was. Ace's scheduled execution was in eight hours. Naruto had never had a reason to travel to Marineford, and consequently had never inscribed a seal for his Father's _Hiraishin _jutsu anywhere on the island. He had been forced to transport to the nearest one and run across the water.

Then there was the matter of finding Ace. The tunnels beneath Marineford where the prisoners were kept were a freaking maze. It had taken Naruto almost a day and a half with a hundred transformed shadow clones before he was confident enough to begin his infiltration.

In his youth Naruto would have simply broken down the front door. To be honest, there was still a large part of him that wanted to do that. It had been ages since he had had a decent fight, and rumor had it all three admirals were in residence. But, this was a rescue mission. Besides, he had no idea what kind of condition Fire-Fist was in. The marines didn't exactly have a reputation for being kind to their prisoners.

The blond waited until the footsteps of the marine disappeared around the corner before dropping noiselessly to the ground. Almost there. Seven corridors, three flights of stairs, ten marines, and a dead end later and he stood around the corner from Ace's cell.

Naruto couldn't help it. He smiled. Those _Tenryūbito _kissing bastards really were making this too easy for him. The guards were just your typical marine grunts. Not even captain level. In short, they were no match for him.

**Mwahah! Blood at last.**

Naruto's brow twitched. _Stupid fox! _He mentally jabbed the demon. _Do you want us to get caught?_

**Yes**, Kurama answered unashamed. It wasn't like anyone here could actually threaten his vessel, and he was bored. **Just think**, the kitsune urged. **Remember the thrill of battle. Pressing your body to its limits.**

_The dying screams of my enemies, _his vessel put in dryly.

**Yes the . . .** Kurama's voice trailed off as he realized he had pushed just a little too far.

_Nice try Kyuubi. _A mental door slammed in the kitsune's face. "But I'm busy."Naruto spun around the corner faster than normal eyes could see; two darts in each hand. One throw and the four guards were down. They didn't even have time to cry out.

The blonde's eyes flicked to the corners of the hallways, only to see nothing. "Seriously," he grumbled to himself. He couldn't exactly blame the marines for not being prepared for someone like him. Still, that was no excuse not to have _den den mushi _down here. Naruto was seriously tempted to write a letter to the Fleet Admiral once he made it out of here.

After taking a moment to study the guards' faces, Naruto created a handful of shadow clones, transforming them and ordering them to take the marines places. For an instant, the blond took time to regret he had never had the talent for genjutsu. If he did he wouldn't have had to bother with drugs. And he could have enjoyed the look on Sengoku's face as his prisoner turned to smoke on the execution platform. Ah well, missed opportunities.

Grabbing the guards' unconscious bodies, he dragged them into the cell, flashing the shocked young man a smile. "Hello. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I'm here to rescue you."

_HYBHYBHYB_

_Hope you enjoyed. I did think about putting the rest of the rescue here but I just thought of a scene I would like to include so you will see it tomorrow._


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one_

_Sorry about yesterday. Got caught up in Mom's B-day party_

**Chapter Three**

Ace just stared at the blonde like he was the weirdest thing the _mera mera_ user had ever seen, not entirely certain he wasn't losing his mind. Then, he blinked. What did it matter if he was? If the man wasn't real than he would be dead soon, if not well . . .

Besides which, Ace could have sworn he had heard that name before. Pops, yeah that was it. Whitebeard had mentioned the other a couple times, usually when chiding an injured Commander about overconfidence. On board the Moby Dick Uzumaki Naruto was the object lesson about how a) there was always someone stronger than you and b) anyone could get lucky. There was just one thing.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Fire-Fist slurred.

A wide grin stretched across the shadowed figure's face, an expression that struck Ace as more than slightly familiar, though he couldn't quite remember just where he had seen it before. It also struck him that the blonde looked way younger than expected. Though that wasn't enough for him to dismiss the other as an imposter; stranger things had happened on the Grand Line.

"The rumors of my demise are, shall we say, greatly exaggerated." The demon vessel hadn't really planned on faking his death. It had just sort of happened, and Naruto had chosen not to correct the world's misperceptions. Being followed around by hordes of weaklings that couldn't land a scratch on him if he were blinded and had tied both hands behind his back was annoying to say the least. Especially when all the blonde wanted to do was sit down, relax, and enjoy a cup of ramen without the marines destroying the whole town around him in an effort to bring him to 'justice.'

Almost before Ace knew it, the other was right next to him. This caused the _mera mera_ user to instinctively jerk away, only to be thwarted by the seastone chains.

"Now now," Naruto chided. "None of that." He bent down to examine the chains more closely. "I suppose I could just break them off," he mused aloud suppressing a laugh as Ace twitched. "But since you probably value your fingers." A key appeared in his hand like magic. "We'll just use this instead."

Ace just glared.

This time Naruto did laugh. "All right," he chuckled. "I'll get you out." Abruptly the blonde sobered, fixing the younger with a serious look. "Just try to control yourself. I know logia hate being bound."

Grimly Ace nodded, taking a swift breath as the seastone chains dropped off his body. It was like he had been carrying around a thousand pounds that was suddenly gone. He wanted to dance. He wanted to burn, burn, burn and never come back to earth. But he couldn't. The pirate gritted his teeth, forcing the flames down until the only indication of his powers was the embers glowing in his dark eyes.

Getting out of Marine Headquarters was actually fairly easy, all things considered. True, Ace had nearly popped the shadow clones which were standing outside his cell before the ninja had stopped him. That wasn't a big deal though. At the very least, it reassured Naruto the younger man could fight if he had too.

Inevitably though, something had to go wrong. The pair was stealthily making their way towards the outer wall when Naruto abruptly stiffened, pushing his charge towards the available cover. Ace crouched low, fists clenching as he banked his inner fires. He had accepted his death as inevitable. Now though, he had a chance, and he'd beg the shitty old geezer's forgiveness and become a marine before he gave up his life without a fight. A moment later, the limited light provided from the rising sun allowed him to pick out the outline of an approaching figure.

The figure came closer, and closer, before coming to an abrupt stop, sword suddenly in hand.

Naruto stepped forward nonchalantly, allowing the other a clear look at his face. "Yo."

The famous yellow eyes widened in shock. "Uzumaki-san." Oh he had known the other wasn't dead. But what on earth was the blond doing here? Mihawk narrowed his eyes, the pieces coming together as his gaze slid to the left. "And Portgas-san, this is a surprise."

Naruto just smiled. "You gonna try and stop us?" He questioned lightly.

There was a moment of silence before Hawk-eyes sighed, sheathing Yoro and standing aside. "I have no reason to start a fight I suspect I would not win," he stated calmly. "Not here; not now." Though the idea of testing his skills against the immortal's was appealing.

The blonde's smile widened. "I'm glad Dracule-kun. I am rather fond of you." He paused. "Not to mention what Shanks would say." He would give his son no reason to grieve, not when he could prevent it.

"Tch." Like it was any business of his that the marines were so incompetent so as to let their most important prisoner since Gol D. Roger escape.

Unfortunately for Mihawk, once upon a time Naruto had known several members of the Uchiha clan and was quite skilled with translating different non-verbal vocalizations. He stepped forward to ruffle the swordsman's hair ignoring the death glare he received in return.

"Let's go Ace." He gestured the other forward.

The pirate emerged from hiding, eyes wide with shock. Had that just happened? Almost mindlessly he followed his savior, taking the time to glance back over his shoulder at the World's Greatest Swordsman. "What would you have done if he said no?"

"That's easy," Naruto replied, raising his voice slightly. "I would have broken out the baby pictures."

Behind them Mihawk froze before quickly walking back towards his temporary rooms. _Kuso._ He would have to let Red-hair know about this. He had been sure Shanks had burned them all. Evidently not.

Once they got outside the walls Ace was confused to see that they were not headed for the docks, but further inland. "What . . ."

"Just trust me."

The pirate frowned but said nothing. His mysterious companion seemed to know where they were going. Fifteen minutes later he kinda regretted that. A complicated design had been etched into the stone in front of them, encompassing full four square meters. It had probably taken hours to draw.

It wasn't any language Ace knew, but he did recognize it. The markings looked very similar to the ones found in various ancient ruins all over the world. The type that tended to do odd things to people when they went off. In short, he did not want to stand inside there.

Naruto rolled his eyes. Things would be so much simpler if he could just use _Hiraishin. _However, he had learned a long time ago that the technique did not work properly on logia types. He had never been able to fix the issue with his Father's jutsu, though he did suspect the problem had something to do with the fluid nature of logia. All things considered, it was a minor irritation. The ninja was just glad he hadn't accidently killed someone the first time he tried to take a devil fruit user along for the ride.

The blonde considered the pros and cons of arguing with the younger man before deciding it wasn't worth it. Grabbing Ace by the arm, he threw the startled pirate inside the seal, hands in motion before the other even hit the ground. "_Kuchiyose: __Gogyou."_

_HYBHYBHYB_

_All right, another chapter complete._

_Hope you enjoyed it. I tried to think of a realistic reason Naruto couldn't just grab Ace and vanish in a flash of yellow light. It would have made a good rescue, but a boring story._

_Also, if anyone would like to draw some pictures of wee!Shanks and wee!Mihawk I will love you forever. I may try but fair warning. I can't draw. At all._


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one_

**Chapter Four**

If Kaido had appeared before him at that moment, Shanks could have cheerfully wrung the other Yonko's neck. As it was, it would probably be a long time before the King of Beasts bothered him or Whitebeard again. That didn't matter though, the damage had been done.

There was no way the Red Force was getting to Marineford in time to make a difference. At this point, Shanks could only pray his contingency plans had borne fruit. His gaze flicked to the large array he had ordered his cartographer to painstakingly copy onto the deck. It remained stubbornly inert.

The pirate hadn't heard a whisper from his Father since he had left five days before and to be honest, he was starting to feel a little worried. His head told him he was being ridiculous. Naruto was ever young, had a fighting style only his son and Mihawk understood how worked, the demonic chakra that ran through the blonde's body could heal otherwise mortal wounds in seconds, and if he had any secret weaknesses they had long since been swallowed by the sands of time. Shanks heart on the other hand, could only whisper that dreaded question; what if?

"What is taking them so long?" Shanks whispered to himself.

Almost in response to the man's question, the sealing array flared up. Burning red and bursting into a pillar of fire, the flames coalescing into a single figure that let out a startled shout before dropping gracelessly to the deck. Ace groaned, his eyes snapping open at the feel of well sanded decking beneath his fingers. _What the hell?_

The _mera mera user _scrambled to his feet only to pause at the sight of the man in front of him. "Shanks?" the name was said uncertainly as though Ace could not quite believe his eyes.

A sigh of relief left the redhead's lips. That was one, and even if his Father had yet to arrive, safety was now only a handseal away. "Someone get me a _den den mushi_," he ordered.

Ace still hadn't quite recovered his equilibrium when the snail like creature was shoved into his hands.

"Call Whitebeard."

The younger pirate just stared. "What?"

"Your crew is mounting an attack on Marineford at this very moment," Shanks said urgently. "Now call him." He took a moment to regret he hadn't informed the other Yonko of his plans but it couldn't be helped. He could only hope the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies were still outside the harbor.

Dark eyes went wide, fingers shaking as he dialed a number only known to Pops' most trusted.

_'Hello.'_

_ 'Rick.'_ It took all of Ace's self-control not to crush the speaker in his hand. _Why?_ His inner voice cried. _Why were they doing this?_ If any of his brothers had been harmed he would never be able to forgive himself. _Didn't they know he wasn't worth it?_

From the other end of the line came the clatter of falling objects as the pirate jumped to his feet. _'Ace! Ace is that you!' _Rick slammed the door open running out onto the deck and dragging the _den den mushi _behind him, completely ignoring the tense confrontation going on between his captain and one of the eleven supernova.

"Pops! Pops! It's Ace." Rick wasn't quite sure what happened after that. One moment he was running and next he was flat on his back, staring at the sky.

_'Ace!'_ Luffy screamed. _'You're all right!'_

Fire-Fist blinked. _'Luffy?'_ he asked. _'What are you doing on our ship?'_

_'Don't be stupid! I came to rescue you,'_ his voice rose. _'Are you okay? Are you safe?'_ before he could continue his a tirade another person intervened.

Whitebeard stood with his hand outstretched. "The _den den mushi _Strawhat."

For a moment it seemed like Luffy was going to refuse. Then, he stepped forward, placing the device in the Yonko's hands. "You're his captain," he muttered. _Nakama, _and _nakama_ meant family.

_'Ace.'_

The younger man felt his shoulders relax as a heap of tension he hadn't even realized he was carrying around dissipated it the sound of his captain's voice. It wasn't to last, the feeling returning tenfold as he remembered why he called. _'My brothers! You have to call them back . . .'_

_ 'Calm down my son.' _Whitebeard ordered. _'Marco is handling it as we speak.'_ His first commander was also spreading the word among their allies, the pirate fleet turning away from Marineford. The Yonko allowed himself an amused grin at the thought of what the admirals were thinking before deciding he didn't really care.

A sigh of relief left Ace's lips. Thank god his brothers were safe, and speaking of brothers. _'Hey Pops, what's Luffy doing on the Moby Dick?'_

_ 'Gurararara. He came to save you. Even broke into Impel down.' _It really was a pity the leader of the Strawhat Pirates wasn't willing to be one of his sons. The brat had spunk.

_Impel Down. _Ace could not help but stare at the dial in his hand as though it had betrayed him. His precious little brother had gone to IMPEL DOWN. Anything could have happened to him! Luffy could have been caught. He could have been killed.

_'Ace.'_

There was no response.

_'Ace.' _Now Whitebeard was starting to sound concerned.

Gently Shanks removed the _den den mushi _from stiff fingers, raising it to his own mouth. _'Portgas D. Ace isn't available right now. But if you would care to leave a message he will get back to you as soon as possible.'_

Pale eyes blinked. _Red-hair?_ Well, he supposed that partially explained how his _baka _son had gotten out of Marine Headquarters. _'It would seem Shanks,'_ Whitebeard said evenly, using the other Yonko's real name for once. _'That I am in your debt.'_

Shanks laughed. _'I can only take part credit. Besides,' _he added. _'Ace has many friends. You owe me nothing.' _Rival Crew or not, the captain of the Red Hair Pirates did not play with the lives of those he cared for.

There was a beat of silence before Whitebeard spoke again, his voice soft. _'How is he?'_

_ 'Better than I was expecting. A few solid meals and some rest and Ace will be as good as new.' _Shanks could only presume the government had wanted the younger man in good condition for his execution. After all, he thought cynically. Mustn't let the masses know how the oh so righteous marines really treated their prisoners.

'_We can rendezvous on Fishman Island unless you'd rather meet somewhere else,_' the redhead added after a moment. _'And I am sure your son would appreciate it if you dragged his little brother along.' _Luffy had potential, but Shanks of all people was all too aware of the kind of trouble anchor could get himself into, and he did not want the younger pirate anywhere near Marine Headquarters, especially not without the rest of the Strawhats.

'_Agreed. See you there.'_

_Bonus Scene_

Sengoku frowned out at the ocean, brow furrowing in consternation. What on earth? The pirate fleet was pulling away, turning one by one to vanish back into the mist. The idea that Whitebeard would abandon one of his sons was laughable, and it was inconceivable that the Yonko's allies would come all this way just to give up at the final hour.

"Sengoku-sama!" The double doors burst open; a pale faced marine stumbling through. "Portagas D. Ace has escaped. When we went to collect him we found out the guards weren't the guards, and then they disappeared, the real guards were in the cell," he added belatedly. "But Fire-fist wasn't." The frazzled man took a deep breath, only to snap his mouth shut at the look on the Fleet Admiral's Face.

"Gone," the zoan repeated dryly looking at the departing pirate fleet with new eyes. Garp's laughter did not help his mood at all. Sengoku's fists clenched. Who could have done this? More importantly how had they managed to use their abilities? It had to have been another devil fruit user and there was enough seastone in the upper levels, above where the prisoners were kept, to prevent anyone from sneaking by.

A flash of bright color caught his eye, Sengoku using haki to focus in on the figure. Almost immediately he wished he hadn't. The man let out a string of vicious curses. "Damn it all to hell."

Aokiji rose from his seat, gaze focused on the distant figure. "Is that . . ."

"It is," Kizaru chimed in. "Mo, what an unexpected turn of events."

Naruto just waved cheerfully. "Hiya Sen-chan."

The Fleet Admiral twitched at the sound of the old, much hated nickname. Why?! His inner voice cried in despair. Why couldn't he just have stayed dead?

As for Akainu, the third Admiral did not waste any time with words. Instead, he launched himself at the outlaw, outstretched hand covered in lava. For a moment it seemed as though he had succeeded.

Naruto looked up from where the fist had punched through his midsection. Then, he smirked, the shadow clone vanishing as though it had never been. "Over here guys." The blond grinned. "I did think about just leaving, but that would be an awfully boring end for my first appearance in decades."

_Oh shit. _Sengoku had just enough time to compute the outlaw's position relative to the docked marine fleet before Naruto moved. Of course, by then it was far too late.

"Rasenshuriken" The glowing blade of chakra tore through the ships, leaving nothing but some scattered sawdust in its wake. Naruto smirked, oh yeah. Chaos, confusion, his work here was done.

_HYBHYBHYB_

_Hope the dialogue was alright_

_Usually I like to interspace it with action but that was difficult considering they are basically _

_Talking over the phone. Will try to get the next chapter up soonish. _

_I got a new job so have been super busy._


End file.
